Yes, Mistress!
So, I was checking my link list in hopes of finding something, ANYTHING interesting enough to post for you. The Darkfall patch notes were sort of interesting, in that they appear to have fixed a major exploit so well that the server is now divided between those who cheated, and those who did not.
But then I noticed the ad. Come with me down the rabbit hole!
The ads on this page are targeted as well as possible, with game ads being shown on game Examiner pages. Being a female gamer means that no ad is ever, ever targeted at me unless it's an ad for one of the abominations on the Lifetime website. And then such an ad is only targeting me if I've had a head injury followed by a lobotomy and an entire box of wine. Games women play, my Aunt Fanny. Gah.
So, anyway, this ad was pretty typical, but the "come on" was a little stronger than I'm used to. "Start your journey NOW, my lord!" Well, my saucy minx! How can I resist such a commanding tone?
It's on my Examiner page, so it must be an MMO, right?
How crazy is it?
No expense was spared running the original Chinese through Babelfish.
I didn't click the registration. Instead I went directly to their website.
I don't know about you, but I can't resist anything called "Crazy expansion." Also, as a veteran of multiple overhyped overwhelmed MMO launches, I have a certain appreciation for anyone who opens a second server and calls it crazy expansion.
Unfortunately, I can't find much about the actual game on this website. The tour is just a handful of screenshots. It certainly looks more "Civ-ish" than usual, and between that and the name, I'm wondering how long Sid Meier's peeps are going to let this alone. Actually, strike that. Sid Meier may have to get in line. Many of the art assets appear to be borrowed from other games.
Castle art from where?
Wait, there's a FAQ! Don't bother reading it unless you're the sort of person who loves to read so much that in the mornings you'll read the cereal box. The Beginner Guidance material is similarly useless, consisting of a bunch of screenshots demonstrating interface elements, not how you might use them.
Certainly it's not apparent from the site that if you want to participate in "world chat" channels, you have to pay. Roughly 30 cents an outburst, as far as I can tell.
Anyone who has endured WoW's open chat for ten minutes will find this an intriguing concept.
Attempts to find out more about the company take you to a press release, the which features a large button reading "Add Fund. Pay Now!" It does not inspire confidence, though the FAQ does assure me it's Paypal and probably as safe as you're going to get online. At the bottom of the page is a notice that the content of the site is copyright "reganmerc.com" - which does not exist at all. Neither do the websites for their other two games.
What is kind of awesome is the community around the game. The message board is surprisingly active with lots of friendly people. The players are largely aware that this game is violating tons of copyright laws, and that the developers of the game are strangely detached from the product. Players who bitch about any aspect of the support, organization, or communication are told to be constructive. The freaky thing is that players so chastised usually come back with... something constructive? What? Is this the internet I've always known?
Anyway. What have we found at the bottom of this rabbit hole? A free to play browser based microtransaction strategy Chinese MMO that charges a dollar for a penny of in game currency. It will be shut down for massive copyright infringement as soon as someone with a legal department gets around to caring. But in the meantime, it seems to have gathered a little community that is worth checking out.
Comments
Great review! But, you didn't answer the most pressing question - are there any more pictures of hot babes in the game, or are they just in the ads?
Unless they figure out a way to make 2D isometric hot babes, I think you're SOL.
Most of the screenshots posted can be made using the world builder in Age of Empires II. If you are going to steal graphics and try to get away with it, Microsoft is not the company I would choose to steal from. My guess is the point of Civony is to infect computers with some type of virus or steal credit card info.
If you look close, I think the hot babe in the ad (just spotted it at a friend's site and searched for info, ending up here) is a generic babe they photoshopped some medieval clothes onto.
Hey, another Mike G that said exactly what I was thinking upon seeing the screenshots in this article! I saw an ad for this 'product' in a most unlikely place, and found it rather suspect, so decided to look it up and found this review, and these shots very much look like Age of Empires II, and thus I fail to see an MMO connection... I'll take your word for it, though, but proceed to ignore its existence.
I'm not surprised by any of this.
MGB there are no babes in the game, andMike G i doubt that this site was made to steal CC info or virus.
I'v played it for over an week and no viruses and the ingame cents are so overpriced that i don't buy any.
Good review. Matches my experience. I was looking for a civ type experience that woudl not so thoroughly derail my personal productivity. The fact that it takes so LOOOOOONG to build anything means that I never spend more than ten minutes a day checking my little city.
I foolishly plopped $20 into game coins for no good reason (so I guess impulse shopping is alive and well). I burned through them far too quickly and i realized that I paid twice that for guil dwars and unlimited playing.
This game will prosper through the bold strategy of acting like they don't need your business.
Well, you were right about Sid Meier - or at least someone must have objected to the name - Civony is being rebranded as Evony (stupid, horrible name) as of today. I'm still addicted regardless of the name tho.
Am i the only one noticing those walls are copied RIGHT from Age of Empires II....
omg.... age of empires 2 castles, walls, lumber camps. hey i know lets throw together a game as quickly and illegally as possible and make some money off the westerners by enticing them to join with boobs!
Evony is just the Chinese gold farmers going first party. There is a lot of information about what is going on at Bruceongames.com
Here’s our take on their spam abuse and their new drastic action against their members (after we complained that day) : www.mmogrindhouse.com/game-news/bizarre/do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-be-the-next-spam-queen/
BUYER BEWARE on this Evony game. No where on their site does it say if you buy Evony cents that you are joining a subscription. If you buy it once you will be charged monthly. DO NOT PURCHASE EVONY CENTS from this gamer site. What they are doing is Theft. Not only have they broke the copy right law but they are now thieves with a paypal account that can be traced. I hope paypal freezes their account after I'm done exposing them.
haahahah
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